« Live outside the Columbus Courthouse | Main | Let's go to school »
January 29, 2007
One Day After
A message from Virgilio Perez Pascoe, found over at Peach Pulpit:
One Day After
by Virgilio Perez Pascoe
Sunday, 28 January 2007
Yes, it was a long day yesterday! For someone that has never seen this democratic process, it was very enlightening.
1. I learned that ---not everything is at it seems.
* The Unity breakfast was a bit too formal with little discussion as to what elected officials, past and present as well as party leaders, past, present and future, felt we needed to do.. The main theme, as I heard it, was that we should bury the hatchet and move steadily forward--to regain the Legislative and Executive branches of the Georgia Government. There was not enough time for questions and for clarifications. Everybody was friendly and accessible, but there was no time for substantial discussion. A pity! I donīt know how much access the party has to its elected officials at all levels of government, but clearly there should be better mechanisms for frank discussions and for setting priorities. Everyone wants success, the question is what does it look like? and how do we get there?:
* Arriving at the meeting place, I suddenly realized that campaigning for party positions is serious business. Campaign signs were out in the street, inside the rooms, and folks were delivering buttons, stickers, sheets of paper, etc. The contrast with the breakfast was startling to me---it felt to me that the gloves were off.
* The most dramatic moment was the first time we heard the results of the balloting for the Chair. There was real division, here. The funny thing, is that I donīt really understand what the division is about. I guess I will learn soon enough. I better.
2. I also learned that folks who reached out to me after the elections, expect results immediately. After Manuelīs as I was driving back to Cumming (my wife was driving the other car), and receiving some phone calls, I realized that now is the time to get things done. This is what I have decided to do:
* I will call our Chairperson Jane Kidd early Monday morning and ask her what her thoughts are.
* I will call Bernita Smith to find out what it is that made DeKalb win a 60k plurality in the last governorīs election. I want to understand what they are doing right---mostly who are the constituent groups
* I will call Dr. Constance M. Burkes, Chairperson of Dougherty Co. in the southwest of the state to understand why it was that they also beat the Republican party in the last election, even if, by a hair. What have they done, and what are the constituencies there.
* I will call Jon Flack, my County Chairperson, because we live in one of the 100 fastest growing counties in the nation, along with 11 other counties in the State of Georgia, to understand what we need to do there to build a credible Democratic counterpart to the Republican behemoth and rid this county once for all of its regressive reputation.
* I will call the Young Democrats of the State of Georgia, for irrepressible fountains of ideas, hopes and goals.
* I will call Cobb County Democrats to understand how a rapidly growing, and diversifying county, and a Republican stronghold to boot ,has developed its constituent group make up. The one breakfast I attended showed me how diverse, active, and focused various constituencies are in that Party.
* I will call Ben Myers, to see how I can get educated on labor/general employment issues and specific constituent groups there.
3. I will, over the next two weeks, thank the folks who believed in me: a total stranger, who happens to have fallen in love with this State.
4. I have the feeling that I will get plenty of advice from everyone. I need it. I am a reader junkie (yeah, I do disgusting things like take a shower, and my laptop is open, just in case, I hadnīt read something). I may not answer all the time, īcause I am not that organized, but I listen.
5. There is some excellent Cabernet Franc, made in our own Dahlonega area, that I need to share with Jon Flack. This is, in the spirit of openness and full disclosure.
Posted by PaulaG at January 29, 2007 01:05 PM
Comments
you gotta love the way he sees the Democratic process. He's just too nice for the DPG's cynicism. If there is one person who deserves to see the best of the Georgia Democrats it is Virgilio. If we "eat him alive" then we are one screwed up bunch of people.
Posted by: Smitty ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.blogfordemocracy.org/nav-commenters.gif)
at January 29, 2007 03:45 PM
I've met and talked with Virgilio.
I don't think he's naive. Or, stupid.
Posted by: Mad Dog at January 30, 2007 09:28 AM
His action plan sounded very reasonable to me... In fact I'm beginning to wonder why all the newly selected chairs didn't send one out...
Show of hands, who is planning on running for state committee in their county?
Posted by: Jules at January 30, 2007 09:44 AM
That's not his final action plan. That's his starting point to understanding the background behind the voting stats, certain constituency groups that have already reached out to him, and to further his interactions over the past month.
I don't think any of the vice chairs should send out an action plan until they have all met as one group and understand the Chair's goals and intentions. To send something else that might be contradictory to the entire group will create early divisiness. They all need to be on the same 1st page.
Posted by: Smitty at January 30, 2007 10:34 AM
Point taken, perhaps what I should have said, was I like how he's thinking and that fact that he let us all know his thoughts. I'm all ablout transparency these days.
Posted by: Jules at January 30, 2007 11:07 AM
Post a comment
Thanks for signing in. Now you can comment. (sign out)
(Just hit the Post button once and be patient. If you have problem commenting, email: mel[at]georgiafordemocracy.org.)